Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-08-25
REorEp IN HONOR
OF THE DEFENDERS.
WE WELCOME YOU ALL TO OUR FESTIVAL.
,1ssI-1s87.

- ~ HAA ~ ~ .
: 1s51-1s87.
At l p. M the bands and reception
committee marched to the depot to
Welcome the defenders. Upon the
arrival of the tEain the defenders will be
escorted to Turner hall. Teams have
been arriving all the morning from the
surrounding country. AT 8 p. m. the
defenders of Fort RidgeIy arrived in the
CITY. At 10 O'Clock the its5ands play
ed on the principal streets.
The story of the tsGreat Sioux Mas
sacre" is the most terrible in the annals
of Minnesota. In that dark, and
bloody week 1000 whites were killed;
10000 people were driven from their
homes; So 800 900 worth OF property was
destroyed. One OF che most sanguinary
struggles of tins conflict was the battle
of New UIm in which the whites re-
pulsed the Indians after o two days
fight.
This is the 25th anniversary of that
battle.
A quarter of o century ago Minnesota
was doing her best to meet the require
ments which the civil war made upon.
her resources. Every fresh draft added
to her burden. The tenth regiment
was beng recruited at Fort Smelling.
The seventh, eight and ninth were there
also, their ranks not entirely full. The
sixth regiment, although complete had
not marched to the front. The flower
of the states young manhood was in the
army. All along the Minnesota river,
where the Sioux were gathered around
the agsncies as pensioners OF the govern.
NEXT, the demands OF the different crafts
had taken away defenders of the settlers,
Preside, leaving on duty only o "home
guard" of cid men and delicate women.
This formed the Indians opportunity.
1t encouraged them TO cherish senti-
ments of hatred and revenge. The train
was laid; the end of the fuse was
temptingly rear only q spark was need.
ed to fire the magazine.
On the l4th of June. or t~hereabouts,
the Indians collected at Yellow Medicine
Agency to receive their annual payment.
Several thousand dollars wa due them
ct b hands of o paternal government.
This money, in the ~exigencies Of the
.times. was delayed. June blossomed
into July, and July melted into August,
and still the messenger with his bags of
gold and silver coin did not appear.
grew rife. The Indians
listened TO bad counsel. They were
hungry--food was in the government
warehouse. They had sold o splendid
birthright for q mess of pottage-now
was their chance to repossess the land.
The presence two companies of so men
sach from Forts Ridgely and Ripley did
not long deter them from overt acts, On
Aug. 4 several hundred Indians broke
into one OF She buildings and took 100
sacks OF flour This outbreak, however.
was soon suppressed. The Indians were
persuaded to their hunting grounds on
the promise that word would be sent
chem when the money arrived. The
as the troops, same time, departed for
their headquarters.
But this was the calm before the
storm.
On Sunday, August II, four young
bucks, of an insubordinate band, were
in the vicinity of Acton, Meaker county.
They called at the house of Howard
Baker. He and his wife were at home,
and Mr.. and Mira. Webster, Mr.. and Mrs.
Robinson Jones and Miss Wilson,
neighbors, were visiting them. The
Indians persuaded the white men TO n
gage in shooting at . HsTh and, ! ii hhinF
advantage of the moment when the
gnne OF she latter were unloaded, cred
upon them. MIR. and Mrs. Jones and
Messrs. Baker and Webster were killed.
The Others escaped. The murderers
then rode rapidly back to the agency on
stolen horses and. n~arrating what they
had done, easily persuaded the other
sioux that all must now unite to exter.
inmate the whites. Thus, on the morn
OF Monday, August Is, OF the lower
Sioux agency, the heIlish work COM
menoed.
News travelled with q snail-like pace
those days and the people were slow
finding ont the dangers which
menaced them. Those who re-
ce,ved warning were, however, quick to
take advantage o fit. They left every
thing and fed. Before long every town
from Mankato 10 st. Paul was filed with
terror-stricken people.
Word OF the uprising had early been
sent to Fort Ridgely but the little band
Of Az soldiers sent out from there were
and slam. Flushed with this
victory over the troops the work OF
death went on. Within Sc hours 500
we're cruelty slain. Every dwell
ling house along the frontier was q
house containing the dying and /
desds In many cases the torch was
applied end helpless victims persisted in !
their habitations. Tender maidens were
saved from the carnage to facet q fate |
worse than death, The outrsges berpe- /
trated by the savage brutes were too
horrible to be told.
On Wednesday,, Aug. Goth, and the /
day following, the Indians fercely at
lacked Fort Ridgiey, but were finally
repulsed. Little Grow, the leader OF
Sioux, then withdrew to Lower
where he was reinforced by $50
Indians. who had just arrived. With
his augmented force numbering fully q !
thousand the red-handed chief then pro. (
agaInst New Ulm. This village, !
of something less than 1900 people, was
we'll prepared for the ssyages. Many 4
had hocked in from the country. |
hundred well armed men had come |
from st. Peter under command of Chas
E. Flandrau, now o leading citizen OF St.
Paul. On Tuesday afternoon the town
bad experienced q preliminary attack |
from the band OF Indians, who on the |
sucoeeding day appeared before
Fort Ridgley, and who were
With the aid of fifteen men from ST |
Peter. ea;ily repealed. being compelled
retreat, leaving several warriors dead |
upon the field. Thus it was imposAible
Little Grow 70 surprise the people |
at New UIm. and when he appeared be-
lore the town at 10 O'clock On Saturday